


Of Slow Mornings and Abbreviated Meetings

by NicePumpkinSpice



Series: Of Sweet Memories and Guarded Moments [77]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:37:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5422514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicePumpkinSpice/pseuds/NicePumpkinSpice





	Of Slow Mornings and Abbreviated Meetings

Evelyn awoke and stretched her arms before kicking off a tangled mass of bedding from around her legs and waist. Resting her chin on Cullen’s chest, she tried to judge how deeply he was sleeping. She guessed that he was still resting soundly from how his mouth hung slightly open as he took slow, deep breaths. Weighing her options, she argued with herself whether she should wake him. She _hated_ it when people roused her, but she was feeling amorous even after the night they had spent making love. True to his word, Cullen had definitely made it worth her wait, but she was feeling greedy and love starved.

She decided to go for a middle ground option - not shaking him awake but instead letting her hand travel languidly down the trail of blond hair leading downward from his navel. Biting her lip after discovering his morning arousal, Evelyn decided subtlety was for fools and began kissing his neck and softly calling his name. He woke up and drowsily pulled her closer to him with his sword arm.

“Good morning,” she whispered as she nipped his earlobe and kissed his cheek.

“So it is,” he answered before shifting on to his side and running his hand along her thigh and rear before kissing the juncture of her neck and shoulders. Evelyn got goose bumps from the feel of his lips against her skin. “Rest well?” he asked while he nuzzled her neck and palmed one of her breasts.

Evelyn could only squeak her affirmative answer as he pressed against her. _Maker, how did I go a year without this?_ she thought as she traced the outline of his bicep with her index finger.

His large, calloused shield hand moved away from her breast and down her stomach. As he explored lower, Evelyn sat up with a start. “Just a second. I’ve got to go,” she announced before hopping out of bed and taking the chamber pot with her to the opposite side of the dressing screen. Cullen laid back, stared at the ceiling, and waited. There was no way Evelyn would be able to relieve herself with him in the room - not if it was at all quiet.

“Do you think maybe you could...?” Evelyn asked not even bothering to finish her request. Cullen struggled to keep from laughing as he started singing loudly. Making concessions to her timid bladder was just part of living with Evelyn. He’d missed dealing with her quirks - her obsessive need for order, her inability to fall asleep before it was almost morning, her fanatical love for licorice, and yes, even her reluctance to urinate if she thought someone might hear. She was a beautiful mess, and he adored her.

“You can stop now. Thanks,” she said sheepishly as she emerged from behind the screen.

“No problem,” he replied, and it really wasn’t. He’d sing an entire aria every morning if it meant he could wake up beside her. 

As she crawled back into bed, Evelyn’s eyes were glinting with mischief. “You said something about a surprise earlier...” she hinted.

“I did,” he agreed. 

Evelyn sat still for a few moments, twirling a strand of her hair before she raised an eyebrow and said, “And ...?” 

“It’s in the works,” Cullen answered with a smug grin. Evelyn had a love/hate relationship with surprises. She abhorred the unknown, but she loved getting gifts and attention.

“Any hints?” Evelyn pressed, and Cullen shook his head. Evelyn bounced slightly on the bed before she whined, “Just a teensy one?”

“You’ve never done it before,” he answered. “And that’s my only clue.”

“But you think I’ll enjoy it?” Evelyn asked warily. She was very persnickety and sensitive to change, so something entirely new didn’t sound appealing. 

“I hope so,” Cullen responded. “I feel fairly confident you will.”

“Just _fairly_ confident?” Evelyn queried with a worried look.

“I don’t want to oversell it, but the odds are you’ll be pleased,” Cullen replied cagily. He had little doubt that she would be thrilled, but it was always a good idea to keep Evelyn’s expectations reasonable. “Did you wake me up to ask about this or was there some other reason?” he teased to remind her of what they had been doing before her bathroom break.

“Sorry ... I got distracted,” Evelyn apologized while batting her eyelashes. “We should get back to that, Commander” she suggested with a flirtatious lilt.

“I concur,” he smiled before pulling her down on top of him.

Josephine was less than pleased when Evelyn was late to that morning’s session of the Exalted Council, but Evelyn ignored her glares as well as those of the Orleasian and Fereldan ambassadors as she took her seat beside Lady Montilyet.

“As I was saying...” Arl Teagan began, and Evelyn raised her hand to interrupt.

“Yes, Inquisitor?” Leliana asked.

“I was just wondering if I could summarize what Arl Teagan will say,” Evelyn posited. “It would save us a great deal of time as well as show that I understand his position.”

Teagan harrumphed at Evelyn’s words, and Josephine looked as if she wanted to strangle her. Undeterred Evelyn continued, “Your Excellency, Arl Teagan will express Ferelden’s reservations about having a large military force on its borders and in some of its cities even though both his King and countrymen have repeatedly requested Inquisition assistance the past three years. He will likely draw parallels to the Wardens and their attempt to place Sophia Dryden on Denerim’s throne even though I have no desire to rule any country - much less one with as many problems and debts as Ferelden. If he’s feeling particularly belligerent, he may refer to our host’s occupation of his land at the end of the Blessed era. He’ll take at least an hour rambling about these concerns before calling for the Inquisition to disband. Then it will be my turn to rebut, and Duke Cyril’s turn to be obsequious. We’ll break for lunch and then hear more of the same. I’m hungry now and was just hoping we could skip ahead to food.”

Somewhere in the audience, Evelyn heard Cassandra snort her approval as Teagan and Cyril became red faced and irate. Arl Teagan stood first and said, “I’ve been insulted enough today,” before leaving the dais. Evelyn turned expectantly toward Duke Cyril who followed suit. “Excellent,” Evelyn announced as she clapped her hands together and stood to leave. “Time for breakfast.”


End file.
